Let’s see how well you handle the future

Aether's dark eyes watched in silent torment as his past self sat before his mother, the warmth of her smile..... She fed him the tainted food as if it were a loving act, her hands tender, her gaze soft.

He wanted to know just one thing.

"Why?" Aether's voice trembled, a mixture of eagerness and pain, the question hovering on the edge of desperation.

His heart, though hardened, felt the weight of it crashing into him again.

[Why?… Why would she do that to her own son?]

The words appeared

[Maybe you hurt someone she cherished... Maybe you frightened her, her beloved child… Or maybe she saw something in you, something that made her fear for herself. Who knows?]

As the words faded, the scene shifted slowly, painfully.